Safety razor



NOV. 7,1944. ALBERT 2,361,921

.v SAFETY RAZOR Filed July 28, 1943 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Nov. 7, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY, IRIAZORIvRobert L. Albert, Arlington, Va. Application July 28, 1943, Serial No.496,470.

7 Claims.

This invention relates to safety razors, one of the objects being toprovide a light, durable and efficient article which does not requirethe use of a handle such as commonly employed but can be gripped easilybetween the thumb and finger by the user and moved back and forth overthe surface to be shaved without change in position of the razorrelative to said surface.

Another object is to provide a safety razor which can be molded ofplastic if so desired.

A still further object is to provide a safety razor longitudinally ofthe body. These faces have been indicated at 3 and constitute seats forrazor blades wardly from the middle portion thereof and above thelevel'of the faces 3 so as to provide stop shoulders 5; Recesses 6 areprovided in each bar 2 and 4 open upwardly through the face 3.

having cutting edges in close proximity to each other, said edges beinprovided by half sections of ordinary double-edge blades.

Another object is to provide a safety razor which does not require theuse of a guard adjacent to the cutting edges although a guard can beemployed if desired.

A still further object is to provide a safety razor so constructed thatthe blade members can readily be placed in and removed from positionwithout danger of cutting the user and can be, quickly gripped'andreleased without necessitat- Associated with each of the bars 2' is aclamping plate 1 proportioned tooverlie a blade B when placed on bar 2and having small lugs 8 located where they will enter the recessesB andthus form stops for limiting the movement of the ing the separation ofany of the parts from each other.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be.made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has beenshown.

In said drawing Figure 1 is a plan View of the safety razor.

Figure 2 is an end elevation. .s

Figure 3 is a bottom view.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the razor with the two clamping platesand one bladeremoved, the lugs of one of the removed clamping platesbeing shown in section and a blade being shown in position thereagainst.

Figure 5 is a section through the complete razor taken substantially onthe line 55, Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a transverse section through a slightly modified form ofrazor.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, I designates theend portions of the body of the razor. These can be of any shape desiredandare connected by parallel bars 2 preferably integral therewith andthe top faces of which ooengaged blade in one direction. Each clampingbar is preferably recessed at its ends, as shown at 9 so as to extendbetween and fit against the wings 4 and also to lap and engage theshoulders 5. This will be apparent by referring to Fig. 1.

Threaded studs H) are extended from the respective plates 1 and arelocated where they can be inserted into openings ll provided within thebars 2 and each of these studshas a nut I2 or one-edge blades areprovided and these constitute the blades which can be used in connectionwith the present razor. The general outline of one of the blades thusprepared has been indicated at B in. Fig. 4. As a double-edge safetyrazor blade of the type specified has its ends cut away adjacent to thecutting edges e to provide a stop shoulder 22 at. each end, it will beapparent that when a half blade section such as disclosed herein isinserted between one of the clamping plates 1 and the supporting bar 2,this shoulder b can drop into position back of the adjacent shoulder 5.That edge of the blade section B remote from the cutting edge willengage one or more of the stop lugs 8 as shown in Fig. 4 so that withtheshoulders b engaging shoulders 5, and portions of the blade engagingcertain of the lugs 8, the blade will be held securely againstdisplacement toward or from the opposed cupy planes which converge to aline extending blade;

By breaking a razor blade longitudinally through these end portions, two

Blades to be used with this razor can be manufactured especially for itor, as stated, the owner of the razor can purchase suitable double-edgedblades and break them into two parts so that each such blade will thusform two single-edge blades each of which has a stop shoulder b. Thestuds ID are loosened in the razor by unscrewing or loosening the nutsl2 so that it thus becomes possible to move the clamping plates 1limited distances away from the bars 2 Without entirely withdrawing thelugs 8 from their recesses 6. The blade to be inserted is held betweenthe thumb and finger of the user, the terminals of the blade providingthe points of engagement. With the clamping plate I pushed upwardlyrelatative to the bar 2, the gripped blade is inserted backwardly sothat the cutting edge thereof will bridge the space between the wings 4while the shoulders b will drop back of the shoulders 5. This insertionof the blade B is limited by the lugs 8 as will be obvious. -When thetwo blades are in position and the clamping plates 1 have beentightened, said blades will be gripped firmly upon the bars 2 and willbe supported with their cutting edges close together. Obviously thoseportions of the plates 1 adjacent to the cutting edges of the blade willbe rounded to provide smooth contact surfaces I4 located outwardly fromthe cutting edges e for sliding engagement with the surface beingshaved. The razor is held between the thumb and a finger of the user andis then moved back and forth over the surface being shaved. When theblade moves to the right the advancing blade merely serves as a guardfor the edge of the following blade because it wipes over the surface.When the razor is moved toward the left this action is reversed, theleft-hand blade having a wiping or guard action While the right-handblade does the cutting. A blade can be quickly removed simply byloosening the stud of its clamping plate, gripping the terminals of theblade between the fingers, and pulling the blade upwardly and outwardlyfrom under the plate I.

In practice it is designed generally to make the ends I' and bars 2 of asingle piece of molded plastic and it is also intended to make theclamping plates 1 of plastic. It is to be understood,

however, that other materials could be used if.

desired.

Under some conditions it might be found desirable to employ a guard baras shown, for example, at it: in Fig. 6. This bar can be molded as anintegral part of the ends N5 of the razor and is located between butspaced equally from the supporting bars IT. The outer or exposed edge ofthe guard l5 can be notched or otherwise shaped and is designed to belocated close to but spaced inwardly from the edges of the engagedblade. Otherwise the structure is identical with that which has alreadybeen described.

Any means can be used for connecting the studs H) to the clamping barsI. In the structure shown each of these studs is formed integral with asmall plate l8 held within the bar I and forming a part thereof.

It has been found in practice that a razor such as herein describedoperates very efficiently. It is further advantageous because it can becompactly packed or stored and has no parts to become separated andlost. It is easily held and operated and in view of the fact that it canbe quickly molded of a plastic material, it can be made and sold at lowcost. As the clampthe edges.

ing bars are extended outwardly beyond the cutting edges of the bladestherebetween, these outermost portions of the bars, which are positionedin a plane located outside of the blades, serve two important functions.If the razor should be inverted and placed on the flat top of a table orthe like, the portions I4 of the bars I will contact with the table topand thus support the cutting edges of the blades away from thesupporting surface so that they will not be injured or dulled. Then,too, the rounded portions l4 when pressed against the surface beingshaved, permit said surface to contact with the razor edges only whenthe surface is pressed back into the space between the bars and towardThis is done by exerting a pressure from the razor against the surface'being shaved and when this is done the skin is not only pushed backtoward the cutting edges but is also drawn taut so that the shavingoperation is accomplished more readily.

Obviously various changes in the design and size of the razor'can bemade within the scope of the invention. It is merely essential that thebody portion made up of the ends I and the connecting or supporting bars2 be so proportioned as to easily be held in the hand where it can begripped by the thumb and a finger, thereby having spaced oppositelydisposed bearing portions positioned .to support razor blades inconverging planes, each blade with its cutting edge close to but spacedfrom the corresponding edge of the other blade, and means for fasteningthe blades onto the respective bearing portions, said means includingplates overlying the respective blades and fastening means for theplates, said plates having rounded portions for simultaneous slidingengagement with the surface being shaved, said rounded portionsextending outwardly beyond and being located at opposite sides of thearea occupied by the cutting edges, said rounded surface-engagingportions being located in a plane parallel with the cutting edges butoutside of the blades.

2. A safety razor, opposed razor blades each having a single cuttingedge, and means for holding the blades fixed relative to each other inplanes diverging from the area occupied by the cutting edges, saidedgesv being spaced apart and parallel, the clamping means includingplates converging along planes parallel with the blades and providingportions at opposite sides of said area extended outwardly beyond thecutting edges, thereby constituting means for bearing simultaneouslyupon a fiat surface to support the blades with their cutting edges outof contact with said surface.

3. A safety razor, opposed razor blades each having a single cuttingedge, and means for holding the blades fixed relative to each other inplanes diverging from the area occupied by the cutting edges, said edgesbeing spaced apart and parallel, the clamping means including platesconverging along planes parallel with the blades and providing portionsat opposite sides of said area extended outwardly beyond the planeoccupied by the cutting edges, thereby to bear simultaneously upon thesurface being shaved and hold said surface normally out of contact withthe cutting edges, and means for adjusting the plates into and out ofblade-clamping positions.

4. A safety razor including connected members spaced apart and havingbearing surfaces in planes converging toward the space between the,

members, blade-clamping plates on the members having rounded portionsadjacent to opposite sides of said space for bearing simultaneously on asurface being shaved, and cooperating means on said plates and membersfor positioning single-edged blades with their cutting edges closetogether and parallel in said space and inwardly from the plane occupiedby the outermost portions of the plates.

5. A razor blade including a structure proportioned to be grippedbetween the fingers of the user and including spaced fixedly connectedrigid members, rigid means cooperating there-' with for detachablyclamping razor blades to the respective members, and cooperatingelements on said members and the clamping means for holding the bladesin converging planes withtheir cutting edges parallel and close togetherat the space between the members, said clamping means having portions ina plane outside of the blades and parallel with the cutting edges forsimultaneous Wiping engagement with the surface to be shaved by thecutting edges therebetween.

6. A safety razor including spaced pairs ofblad holding elementsproportioned for holding non-alining blades with their edges closetogether between the elements and parallel, two of said elements beingpositioned at opposite sides of the blade edges for simultaneous wipingcontact with a substantially flat surface being shaved by the bladeedges.

7. A safety razor including a body structure proportioned to be grippedby and held between fingers of the user, said structure includingopposed pairs of movably connected blade-gripping elements positionedfor holding opposed nonalining blades in converging planes with theircutting edges supported between said pairs, two of said elementscooperating to provide guards at opposite sides of the edges forsimultaneous wiping contact with a flat surface in a plane outside ofthe blades and extending across the cutting edges and paralleltherewith.

ROBERT L. ALBERT.

